What Do I Want to Achieve in 2011?

December 28 – Achieve. What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

Wow! Today's prompt is a pretty amazing one! This question comes on the end of a day of parting with 500 VHS tapes, numerous CDs and DVDs, 500 Church books and so much more...craft stuff, fabric, memories, and paper....I am feeling free, but I am a bit sad for the loss. I know that the space I will enjoy in my home is going to be amazing. My family is so excited to have a "real" family room with a new HD TV and a fireplace and so much more. It will really be nice, but boy was it hard separating from all that stuff! I really am a keeper.

So today's questions is getting at the next big change for me. And I'm not taking about the fact that Colin is leaving in 28 days for his LDS mission for two years. That is right....two years. I am talking about the shape that I have let my body become. 2011 has to be the year that I change and make my physical body my top priority. It just has to. I am finished being angry at UNK for cutting my class load in half, I am almost finished getting rid of many, many things, and I think I have really let go of some "anger" that I have been holding on to. I now need to focus on me in 2011.

So the "thing" that I most want to achieve in 2011 is that of major weight loss. I don't necessarily want to put 100 pounds out there, but I do think it will be BIG! I imagine that when I do get myself in the shape I know I can be in, I will feel amazing. Amazing in the fact that this change will effect so many other areas of my life. Mentally I will so much more on top of my game. My family will benefit from my weight loss because I will be able to be "involved" much more as their mother. I won't be that side-line mother anymore. I will be able to run that half-marathon I have always imagined. I will be able to let go of so much more as well. Sure there will be hard times and sacrifice. I am ready to have my body hurt. I know that getting to the gym everyday will mean that I have to let some other things go, Eating healthy and making wise food choices will be hard, but these choices will free me up to spend my time and energy on so much more.

Here are ten things I can do today to experience some of the feelings that I want to experience at the end of 2011 when I have reached my "ideal" weight and body condition :

1. I can eat a healthy breakfast this morning. My family will thank me as well.

2. I can go on a short one mile walk around my neighborhood. I will feel so much better. Still no snow on the ground and I should really be taking advantage of this.

3. I can continue on my quest for an organized and clean house. This really will help in my goal for 2011. When I get rid of things my ability to focus on other areas of my life seems so much easier.

4. I can plan out my exercise time for the next semester. If I don't plan a time, it won't get done.

5. I can re-read the "Couch to Half-Marathon" book on my drive to Omaha today. It will inspire me.

6. I can get rid of some of the treats that I have around the house that seem to foil my daily quest to eat healthier.

7. I can call a friend and ask for help this year in my ability to achieve this goal or dream.

8. I can get rid of self-doubt talk when the going gets a little rough today.

9. I can keep blogging because this seems to help me to be able to organize my thoughts and goals. And I have "followers" who are out there to read this, leave comments and support me.

10. And now, I can just get up out of the chair and start doing what I just wrote about.

There you have it! It was a bit of a task, but I feel so much better. At the end of the day as I look back over this blog entry, I know I will feel grateful for the journey! So let's get started!